Bag filling apparatus



March 14, 1933. A BUXTON l,900,907

BAG FILLING APPARATUS Filed Dec. 5, 1929 l4 Sheets-Sheet l H. A.BuxroNMarch M, 1933. H. A. BUXTON 1,900,907

BAG FILLING APPARATUS Filed Dec. 5, 1929 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 arch M, E933.H. A. BuxToN Y L90907 BAG FILLING APPARATUS Filed Dec. 5, 1929 4SheQlZS-,Slleel'l 5 WM WwW/1MM awo/bmg S,

March M, 19533. H. A. BuxToN L900f907 BAG FILLING' AAPPARATUS FiledDeoz. 5, 1929 4 sheets-sheet 4 Patented Mar. 14, 1933 isuxclon, or*cLEvEiANn HEIGHTS, orrro, AssIeNon 'ro THEl CHASE Bae e COMPANY, 0F NEWYORK, NY., A. CORPORATION 0F DELAWARE..

' Bae FILLING arana'rus Ap'pncanen mea December s, 1929. serial No.411,720;

The present invention pertains to a charging and discharging apparatus,and more particularly to an electrical apparatus for charging andfilling bags or other receptacles.

5 Thus, my object in general is to provide a simple apparatus fordischarging and delivering a predetermined number of ob]ects or articlesfrom a bin or other source of supply into a bag or other holder. Theapparatus 10 also embodies means for setting and controlling itsoperations, whereby any desired or predetermined number of objects orarticles may be discharged and dehvered. The apparatus has also beenespecially designed and ,15 constructed for handling citrus fruits, al-

though it should be understood that other products, either natural ormanufactured, may be handledand distributed 1n the same 15h handlingcitrus fruits, for example, oranges, it has been customary 1n the pastto grade and assort the fruit, and then pack and ship the same in boxesor crates. more recent mode of handling such frults mvolves the use ofopen-mesh shipping bags. Haying a bag of given size and capacity, 1tw1ll hold a greater number of smaller objects or pieces of one gradethan larger ones. The fruit is therefore counted and only thesamepredetermined number of pieces are shipped or transported in such bafgs.The present apparatus is designed to ll such bags automatically with anydesired predetermined number of pieces of fruit, the operator orattendant being only employed to place the bag in position, to start themachine, and to remove the filled bag. The pieces of fruit aredelivered, singly and successively, into. the bag, and when the desirednumber of pieces have been delivered, the discharge movement of thepieces is arrested and stopped automatically to permit the filled bag tobe replaced by an empty bag and the operation repeated,'either for thesame number of pieces or for a greater -or lesser number of pieces asthe operator may elect.

In the accompanying drawings, Sheet 1, Fig. 1 is aside elevation of theapparatus, on a, reduced scale; Fig. 2 a side and sectional View, online 2 2 of Fig. 3, of the speed governor or brake for controlling thefeed movement; Fig. i

3 a sectional view ofthe governor on line 3 3 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 asideview of the commutator switch and Fig. 5 a sectional view of the samecommutator switch:

In sheet 2, Fig. 6 is a top view of-the apparatus on the same scale asFig. 1; Fig. 7 is a cross sectional view of the trough on line 7 7 ofFig. 6; and Fig. 8 is a schematic diagram of the electric operatingcircuit for the apparatus.

l In Sheet 3, Fig. 9 is a, sectional'view on th longitudinal medial line'of the apparatus; Fig. 10 an enlarged top view of the electric andspring cont-rolled devices for reckoning and regulating the number ofpieces to be released and delivered; Fig. 11 a sectional view on line l111 of Fig. 10, of the jack switch for controlling the locking solenoidcircuit; Fig. 12 a sectional view on line 12--12 of Fig. 10; of theratchet wheel and switch arm;

and Fig. 13 a sectional View on line 13 13 of Fig. 10, showing theoperating and locking pawls for the ratchet wheel and the releasingdevice for said pawls. In Sheet 4, Fig. 14 is a sectional viewtransversely of the trough, taken on line 14-14 of Fi 6; and Fig. 15 isa cross sectionalview of the delivery end of the trough provided with apair of bag holders mounted on a shiftable carrier.

The apparatus comprises an inclined chute or trough A having a flaringreceiving end 2 and a downwardly extending delivery end 3. The receivingend 2 has inwardly sloping side walls 4 4 forming a continuation of twoinclined bottom,wal1s 5 5 in the main body of the trough, whereby roundobjects, such as oranges, will be guided and caused to roll by gravity,singly and successively, in a straight line downwardly through thetrough when released from a source of supply, such as a bin. The troughor chute may -be open on top or completely closed, but the delivery end3 is preferably provided with a round discharge opening 6 and a tapereddepending spout 7 through which the fruit or other object may bedelivered into a bag B sleeved over and suspended from the spout. Thesides of the spout flare downwardly and outwardly and the lower edge 8is ybeaded loo to permit the open upper end of the bag to be removablyclamped upon the spout by a loose rinlg C.

he travel of each piece of fruit through the trough is barred orinterrupted by a spoked wheel 9 mounted on a rotatable shaft 10extending transversely through an opening 11 in the bottom of thetrough. A ratchet wheel 12 is fixed to one end of shaft 11 outside ofthe trough, and a locking pawl 14 co-acts with this ratchet wheel tostop the rotatable movement of the interrupter wheel 9 after apredetermined number of pieces of fruit have been released.

The fruit itself causes the interrupter wheel to revolve, each piece offruit producing a quarter of a revolution of shaft 10, assuming wheel 9to have four spokes or radial arms adapted to provide four transferpockets for the successive pieces of fruit rolling downwardly by gravitythrough the chute or trough. To prevent the fruit from traveling toofast or accelerating the rotatable movement of the interrupter Wheel toan objectionable extent, the speed of rotation of the wheel iscontrolled or regulated by a friction brake or governor 22. Thus, ahousing 15 is secured to one side of the chute or trough, and thishousing contains a spur gear 16 fixed to shaft 10 and meshing with apinion 17 on a short shaft 18 carrying a worm gear 19. A spiral gear 20and governor shaft 21 is thereby driven at an increased rate of speed,including a centrifugal overnor or braking device 22. When a su denimpact or an accelerated movement is imparted to the interrupter wheel,the centrifugal governor 22 is thrown outwardly with frictional brakingeffect against a stationary friction o drum 23 fixed to housing 15, seeFig. 2.

The locking pawl 14 is normally held apart from ratchet wheel 12 by aspring 24, see Fig. 1, and is connected by a link 25 to the movable coreof an electric solenoid 26 mounted upon one side of the chute or trough.When the solenoid winding is energized the pawl is shifted and held inlocking position. against ratchet wheel 12. De-energization of thesolenoid winding permits the spring to unlock the pawl and ratchetwheel, and that is the condition while the fruit is passing downwardlyin the chute or trough and revolving the interrupter wheel and its shaft10.

To control and determine the number of pieces of fruit to be discharged,the revoluble shaft 10 is provided with a commutator 27 adapted to beengaged by one or more spring contact blades 28-28 connected in anelectric circuit a, see Fig. 8. The commutator segments 29 and thespokes or pockets in the interrupter wheel 9 are equal in number so thatas each piece of fruit revolves wheel 9, the electric circuit a will beclosed and opened, thereby energizing and de-energizing a solenoidwinding 30. The movable core of this solenoid is connected by a link 31to an oscillatory lever 32 carr ing an operating pawl 33 for a rotatableindex wheel 34 having peripheral ratchet teeth adapted to be engaged bysaid pawl and also by a holding Vpawl 35, see Fig. 10. Each intermittentoperation of the solenoid rotates the index wheel 34 the distance of oneratchet tooth, and a coiled spring 36 returns oscillatory lever 32 andthe operating pawl to pick up the succeeding tooth on the wheel. [heindex wheel 34 is connected to one end of a convolute spring 37 which iswound up in increasing degree when the index wheel is ro tated ste bystep by the operating pawl. The holdlng pawl 35 prevents a returnmovement of the index wheel, although a releasing member 38 is providedto dis-engage said holding pawl to permit a reverse movement of theindex wheel after the predetermined number of pieces of fruit have beendischarged.

Any desired number of pieces of fruit ma be discharged, providing adefinite setting 1s lirst established between an electric switch member39 and a removable indexing pin 40 carried .by the index wheel. Thus,wheel 34 is provided with a circular row of pin receiving openings 41,each ratchet tooth having a corresponding pin opening. Switch member 39is pivotally supported upon a stationary bracket- 42 above the indexwheel and in the circular path of movement of the indexing pin 40.Assuming the pin is seated in any one of the openings 41 more or lessremote from switch member 39, and the index wheel is beingintermittently operated, the pin will eventually strike the arm and turnit on its pivot, thereby forcing the spring .blades of a jack switch 43into contact and closing an electric circuit I) containing the solenoidwinding 26 for the locking pawl 14. Any suitable switching device may beused in lieu of a jack switch, but as shown when the index wheel isrotated a predetermined distance the indexing pin will operate, theswitch andI close the locking circuit l, thereby energizingrthe lockingrsolenoid to cause the locking4 pawl 14 to stop further revolution ofratchet wheel 12, shaft l() and interrupter wheel 9. In that way, ameasured number of pieces may be discharged automatically, and allfurther discharge stopped automatically.

The attendant then removes the filled bag, and attaches an empty bag tothe spout. This bag may then be charged or filled with an equal numberof pieces, providing the setting of the indexing pin on wheel 34 is notchanged. Or, any desired number of pieces may be discharged into the bagby re-setting the pin. To start the filling operation, the operatormerely pulls or draws the releasing member 38 forward, thereby causing abev- A sion over the interrupter w addition, when the pin or projection45onthe index wheel approaches the edge of `bracket 42 it will alsostrike the pivoted switch member 39, thereby shifting it to open thejack switch and in that way breakin the locking circuit b and releasingthe vlo g pawl 14. The pieces of fruit in the chute or trough thenk rollby gravit in rapid succesheel and drive the said wheel to operate thecommutator, index wheel, and the electrical devices, until the desiredpredetermined number of pieces have l stopped automatically ashereinbefore de- .been discharged. and the mechanism is scribed.

In Fig. 15 I show the discharge end of the chute or trough equipped witha cross slide 47 having two spouts 48-48 suspended therefrom and adaptedto be laced alternately in register with the disc arge mouth 6 in thechute or trough, whereby while one bag is being filled through theworkin spout,

' a second empty bag may be attache to the idle spout. In Fi s. 9 and14, I also show avertically adjusta le guard or intercepting member 49mounted at the front edge of the supporting plate 50 for the indexingwheel, whereby over-riding of the interrupter wheel and escape of therolling fruit is prevented, especially in charging the apparatus or whensudden inrush of fruit occurs. Such inrush is also checked by thegovernor 22 if the interrupter wheel is unlocked and free to rotate.

What I claim is:

1. In a ba filling apparatus, a gravity delivery chute aving a larnreceiving end, a downwardly extending disc arge-end including means forsuspending a bag therefrom, a rotatable wheel having spokes extendininto said chute and adapted to rotate sai '.wheel by the objects passingthrough said chute, and adjustable indexing means for controlling therotatable movements of said wheel, and the number of objects passingthrough said chute into said bag.

2. In a charging a paratus, a gravity deliverv chute having a aringreceiving end and a discharge end including means for Fsuspending a bagdetachably; means for temporarily arrestinlg said objects, singly4 andsuccessively, in t eir travelthrough said chute; and means for stoppingthe travel of said obects automatically, including an indexing evice forXredetermining the number of obeli'vered into said bag.

3. In a bag filling apparatus, a gravity de-- livery chute having aHaring receiving endand a downwarly extending discharge end, a series ofbag suspending means attached to and shiftably arranged .with respect tosaid dischargeend, and means for controlling the passage of apredetermined number of objects through said chute -including anindexing device and a'device for locking said indexing deviceand'stopping the passage of objects through said chute. V

4. In a bag filling apparatus, a chute having a Haring receiving end, adownwardly extending discharge end, a V shaped bottom for guidingobjects passing through said chute and rotatable means including aplurality of radial arms extending into said chute through-the bottomthereof, for controlling the passage of objects through said chute. y

5. In a bag illiiig'apparatus, a gravity chute having a flaringreceiving end including inwardly sloping side walls, a4 trough shapedmain ortion havingv two inclined bottom walls a joining the ends of saidslopingsaid walls and forming a V Vshaped bottom for said main portion,a downwardly exj tendin discharge end, and rotatable means includmgfalurality of radial arms extendving into said main portion of said chutethroughv the V shaped bottomtthereof, for controlling the passage ofobjects through said chute.

6. In a bag filling apparatus, a gravity chute having a flaringreceiving end, a trough shaped main portion including a V shaped bottomfor centrally guiding objects passing through said portion, rotatablemeans extending into said main portion through the bottom thereof forcontrolling the passage of objects through said chute and verticallyadjustable guard means o posite said rotatable controlling means an within preventing overriding of said controlling means by objects passingthrough said chute. l

7. In a bag filling apparatus, a gravity chute having a Haring receivingend, a trough shaped main portion includin a V shaped bottom forcentrally guiding o jects passing thi-ou h said main portion, adownwardly exten ing discharge end provided with a tapered dependingspout adapted to support a bag suspended therefrom and rotatable meansextending into said main porwhereof I aix m si HERMAN A.' B

cooperating there-

